Fear Him

"Anxiety and agitation caused by the presence of danger, evil, pain, etc."  That is one definition of the word, fear.

     I grew up fearing so many things.  School was a big fear, and then there were all the kids and the teachers to be afraid of, just to name a few.  My childhood was wonderful, and dreadful.  I couldn't have asked for a better family, but this fear in side of me, was eating away at me.  Since that time I have learned a bit about fear.
     The fear that I was feeling wasn't good.  It was truly painful, and it kept me from doing many things.  But there is another definition of fear and that is, "To feel awe or reverence for."  Reverence, meaning, love or respect.
     Not all fear is bad, I just needed to get my fear in line with God's word.  Psalm 128:1 says, "Blessed are all who fear the Lord" And Psalm 145:19 says, "He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him."
     Proverbs 10:27 says that if you fear the Lord He will add length to your life.  Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
     When I think about fearing the Lord, I like to remember how I felt for my dad.  God is our father and it makes sense that He wants to be respected, He wants to be loved.  God does not want us to be afraid of Him, in a painful way.  I dearly loved my dad and I am learning to love the Lord in that same way.
     We know the Bible tells us to fear the Lord, but it also tells us not to fear, man.  Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts the Lord is kept safe."
     I am trying to deal with the bad fear, that I have been feeling my whole life, and at the same time, learning how to love and respect, or fear God.  Fear can be a bad thing, but the right kind of fear can add much to your life.